The Forgotten Secret
by Amber Unicorn
Summary: Life was as usual for Harry Potter, until the night he over heard a secret that had been forgotten. OOTP Spoilers.
1. Default Chapter

The Forgotten Secret  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of the characters created by J.K. Rowling  
  
Chapter 1 The Little Golden Box The wind was whispering quietly through the leaves on the trees, as Dudley Dursley sat on the front porch with his best friend, Piers Polkiss. Dudley and Piers went to the same secondary school, Smeltings, where Dudley was continuing to compete in Junior Heavyweight Inter-School Boxing, and Piers was still his faithful sidekick, looking the same as ever, a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. Right now, however they were sitting on the Dursley's front porch watching the storm roll in. "Hey Big D," said Piers, "that was some upper cut you gave that Evans kid."  
  
"Yeah it will teach him not to give me lip, huh?" stated Dudley proudly. Piers smiled and shook his head at his friend, "Yep it sure will, one day he will learn who rules this neighborhood." The two sat and watched the distant storm that was starting to roll in.  
  
"Well Big D, I gotta go," Piers said with regret. "I need to get home so I can go with my parents to London. We're picking up my Aunt Mitildia from the train. Man I hate her."  
  
"Ok see ya Piers," Dudley said with laughter, "Have a good time."  
  
As Piers walked away, Dudley sat on the porch and shivered. "If it was dark out right now it would be just like that, that night." As he rose from the porch and reached the front door, he looked over his shoulder to see if anything was there. Of course, there was not, but one can never be too sure.  
  
The boy who lived was seated in the tallest tree in the front of the house, as he watched the conversation between Dudley and Piers. He wasn't a bad looking boy if you knew him, just a bit neglected. Holes and tears in his jeans, his t-shirt dirty and baggy, his shoes coming apart at the seams, needing to be glued again, a typical teenager of sorts. He didn't chuckle as he watched Dudley turn around before going in the house. This boy who lived remembered all too well, what Dudley was feeling. It's one of those things that you just can't forget. The cold, the feeling of emptiness, the dark unhappy feeling like no other. The feeling of all happiness being sucked out of you. The feeling of a Dementor.  
  
The dementors appeared last year about this time, sent by none other then a professor at Hogwarts. Well she wasn't a professor at the time. She wanted to get Harry to use his magic and to be expelled from Hogwarts. It didn't work though, it did come awful close, but in the end, she failed.  
  
As Harry thought back on the past year, the storm clouds were getting darker and the lightning was off in the distance. The thunder was rumbling, as Harry climbed down from the upper branches of the tree. He stopped. "Man I hope Hedwig is going to make it home ok in this weather," Said Harry eyeing the storm. "Dudley was right, if it was dark.........."  
  
"BOY..... BOY! Get in this house right now," bellowed Uncle Vernon. "Your Aunt wishes to have a word with you." "Here we go again," Harry thought. "I wonder what they want now?" Harry finished climbing to the lowest branch of the tree and jumped down. He stood up and brushed himself off. As he started up the front steps of the porch the lightening crashed in the dark clouds behind him. He got to the top of the steps to meet Uncle Vernon's glaze as the deep rumble of thunder sounded. "Looks like it might rain tonight Uncle Vernon," Harry said. "Looks like some storm coming in."  
  
Uncle Vernon a big beefy man with hardly any neck at all and a very large mustache barely shook his head in agreement. "Your aunt is waiting for you in the living room." Uncle Vernon grumbled, "She shouldn't have to wait on the likes of you." As Harry entered the living room, he was shocked to see Hedwig sitting on the back of the sofa. Aunt Petunia was attaching a post to the snowy owl's leg. Aunt Petunia looked up at Harry as she finished. "Oh here you are," she stated. Aunt Petunia was a frail woman, very skinny and blond, she had a rather long neck though for getting her nose into other peoples business. "You know where to go," she said as she turned and looked at Hedwig. With that, Hedwig took flight out the open window. After she was gone, Uncle Vernon promptly shut and locked the window. "Harry," Aunt Petunia began. "I know. "Where did you send my owl?" Harry asked. With a deep sigh, Aunt Petunia started again. "Harry would you please sit down?" Harry looked to his aunt then to the locked window. The lightning flashed and brightened the room. "But, my." Uncle Vernon grabbed Harry by the shoulder. "You heard your aunt," barked Uncle Vernon. "Sit down as she asked. You are not to ignore her." Harry sat where he was told and looked from his aunt to his uncle. "Well what is it you needed to talk to me about?" asked Harry angrily. "What is it you wanted now?" "Harry," Aunt Petunia began. "This came for you earlier," Aunt Petunia was holding a piece of parchment. "I have taken the liberty of answering.."  
  
"You read my mail?" Harry asked angrily. "Answering it for you," Aunt Petunia continued, as if never interrupted. "The Weasley's asked if you would like to spend the rest of the holidays with them. They will be coming for you tomorrow at noon." Harry looked at his aunt in amazement. "Let me get this straight," Harry said. "You have read my mail, and I'm going to spend the rest of the holidays with the Weasley's?" "Boy watch your tone with your aunt," demanded Uncle Vernon. His face was deep purple as he was doing everything he could to contain himself. "Harry," Aunt Petunia began, looking at him with the softest eyes he had ever seen her have. "This was left with us about eighteen years ago by your parents." Looking down next to his Aunt Petunia Harry noticed a little golden box. His aunt reached down and picked it up. "Your parents came to us and told us to give this to you when the time was right." Uncle Vernon coughed and with a sigh, he sat down next to Harry. "Boy. Harry," he began. "When your parents came to us and told us that Voldemort was gaining more power. They made us promise that their son would be given this little box when the time was right." Uncle Vernon cleared his throat. "At this point you weren't even born yet," Aunt Petunia said. "Fact of the matter was your mother wasn't even pregnant with you." Petunia handed Harry the golden box, engraved across the top were the words "The Boy Who Lived." "Your father told us," Vernon said. "That this box had been handed down from father to son since the founding of Hogwarts." "No one knows what's in it," Aunt Petunia interjected. "We asked Dumbledore about it, however he had......" "He had no bloody clue what it was," Uncle Vernon interrupted. "No bloody clue!" Uncle Vernon got off the couch and walked to the window. The clouds in the distance were coming closer. They were darker and looked more threatening. The lightning was bouncing from cloud to cloud and the thunder was booming. "He sends you to us, puts you on the door step, for your aunt to find in the morning instead of the milk." "Vernon calm down please," Aunt Petunia said gently. "No I will not calm down," Uncle Vernon bellowed. "It's about time I said my peace." Uncle Vernon turned and faced Aunt Petunia. "We walked away from this Petunia, walked away for them," Uncle Vernon began. "And now, now...." "Vernon stop, not in front of Harry..." "NO! He needs to be told.." "But Vernon we were told.." "NO! THIS IS MY HOUSE, AND I WILL NOT BE TREATED LIKE A CHILD IN MY OWN HOME!" Uncle Vernon yelled at the top of his voice. Out of nowhere came a brown tawny owl with an orange rolled piece of parchment in its claw. The owl flew over Uncle Vernon's head and dropped the parchment in front of him. Before the parchment hit the ground, it came unrolled and a large bellowing voice filled the room.  
"VERNON DURSLEY YOU GAVE YOUR WORD" With this being said the parchment exploded and a large bang filled the air. "What was that?" Harry asked. "OUT! OUT! OUT!" Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia hollered together. "Who was that from?" Harry asked. "Harry go and get your things packed," Aunt Petunia said. All the color had drained from her face. "Just go and get packed." "Go," Uncle Vernon interjected. "Just go and do as you aunt has told you." Harry looked from his aunt to his uncle. He had never seen all the color ever drain from his uncle's face before. This big beefy man looked some how much smaller. His aunt seemed somehow more frail. Harry knew when he was defeated, and now was not the time to argue. He arose from the couch with the golden box in his hands and started to walk toward the stairs. "Harry?" His aunt called. Harry turned around and looked at his aunt. "That box Harry," she began. "Will only open on its own and in its own time. Keep it safe," she said. He glanced down at the object in his hand. "I will," Harry said. He started up the stairs with one thought on his mind. "In my hands I hold something given to me by my parents. What is the world is going on?" As Harry reached the top of the stairs and walked into his room to pack. Dudley Dursley still sat in the shadows of the living room wondering what his parents had walked away from. 


	2. A New Understanding

The Forgotten Secret  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of the characters created by J.K. Rowling  
  
Chapter Two A New Understanding Harry looked around his room at all the things there, his books and parchment lay strewn all over his bed and desk, he had been doing holiday homework earlier today. His trunk lay wide open, clothes, robes, and cloaks lay inside and over the edges of it. Hedwig's cage sat on the top of his dresser, it needed to be cleaned. In one corner lay a pile of broken toys that were Dudley's from years past. Harry needed to get his room in order before he left. Harry attempted to pack his things. He started separating all he had, in order to make sure he got everything. He started with a pile of books, quills, parchment and his homework diary, his best friend Hermione Granger had given him for Christmas the previous year. He opened it to the notes section and found writing inside, Harry, I know that your aunt said that you could come to the Weasley's for the rest of the holidays. We will be picking you up with my parents at noon tomorrow; we will be driving back to London with a guard on brooms and invisibility cloaks. Are your aunt and uncle treating you ok? Just wanted to let you know all the Weasley's, (except Percy of course) and my parents and I will be picking you up. See you soon, Love, Hermione. Harry grinned and laughed, Hermione was the cleverest witch ever. What will she think of next? First the coins for the D.A. that changed to the time whenever the secret D.A. club had scheduled a new meeting, and now the homework diary, a magic journal for communication? He missed his friends badly; he couldn't wait to see them tomorrow. He had a thought while he was holding the diary, so he grabbed a quill and wrote, Hermione, I can't wait to see you all tomorrow. I' m being treated ok here. Tonight I had the strangest conversation with my aunt and uncle. I will tell you about it when I see you. I'm going to get my things packed. See you tomorrow. Love, Harry With a sigh, he put down the quill and turned to his trunk. He started taking things out of the trunk and put it in piles on the floor so he could organize everything. When the trunk was nearly empty, Harry picked up the only item left inside, it was the mirror that Sirius had given him at Christmas last year, it was supposed to be a way to get a hold of Sirius but Harry never was able to use it. With his godfather now dead.... Harry tossed the mirror back into the bottom of the trunk, sat down on the bed, and picked up the golden box. So many mysteries, so many unanswered questions, Harry shook his head and lay down on his bed. Harry could not finish packing that night; there were too many unanswered questions. As he lay on his bed, trying to figure them out, sleep over came him and the dreams began. They started, as they always did with Harry hearing his parents before they died. His father telling his mother to take Harry and run. His mother screaming "Not Harry, not Harry, Please not Harry. That cold voice telling his mom, "Stand aside you silly girl." Then his dreams moved on to the Professor Quirrell and the hideous face of Voldemort on the back of his head. Oh the memories of rescuing Ginny Weasley from the ghost of Tom Riddle; the dementors and the awful cold. On to the try wizard tournament and the death of Cedric. The rise of the Dark Lord Voldemort. The death of his godfather Sirius Black. These dreams ran repeatedly in his mind. Then with out knowing it he was in the Dursley's living room and hearing the conversation again. Something was wrong, Harry just could not put his finger on it what was it? Voldemort his uncle had said. "When your parents came to us and told us that Voldemort was gaining more power." There was that name clear as a bell. No stuttering, no changing the name just Voldemort. Plain as if Harry himself had said it. Then there was "We walked away from this Petunia, walked away for them, and now, now...." What did they walk away from? Harry awoke in a cold sweat. There was a light tapping on his door. He went to the door to open it and to his surprise there stood his cousin Dudley. "Dudley," Harry said. "Can I help you?" "Harry look, I know that it is late, but can we talk?" Dudley asked. Harry looked at the clock and it read 3:36am. With a shrug of his shoulders, he replies. "Sure come on in." Dudley looked around the room and walked to Harry's bed. "Can I sit down?" He asked Harry. "Go ahead," Harry said still rather puzzled as to why Dudley was in his room at all let alone at 3:30 in the morning. "What's up?" Harry asked trying to break the ice. "It's about Mum and Dad," Dudley replied. "I heard their conversation with you earlier." Dudley paused and looked around the room. "They walked away from something and I'm not sure what it was. That orange piece of paper just exploded and it was talking about my Dad this time, not my Mum. Do you know what is going on Harry? Do you have any idea what they were talking about?" Harry looked at his cousin with wonder. Had Dudley had the same thoughts that he did? His aunt and uncle never hid things from Dudley, or did they? "I just don't know what is going on Dudley. What you heard in the living room is the samething that I heard. I never knew that your parents and mine talked before we were born. I wish that I knew what was going on, but, I just do not know." Dudley looked at the little golden box on Harry's bed and picked it up. "I guess I fell asleep with it last night," Harry said. Dudley was turning the box over in his hands. "It says here 'The Boy Who Lived'," Dudley said as he looked at Harry. "Who is it talking about?" "Me, I guess," Harry said. "I survived a killing curse because of my mothers love." Harry walked to the window and looked out at the clouds. "Voldemort came to my house and tried to kill me, he killed my Mum and Dad first. The love that my Mum felt for me protected me so when the killing curse struck me here." at this time, Harry had turned around and moved his hair to point to the lightning scar on his head. "It rebounded from me to Voldemort and killed him instead." With a deep sigh, Harry sat down on the bed next to Dudley. "Dumbledore sent me to live with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon for protection. With Mum and Aunt Petunia being sisters there was a charm that was placed upon me that when your Mum took me in, she sealed the charm placed upon me. It was a charm of protection." Dudley just sat there looking at Harry. "So you're being hunted by someone who wants you dead?" he asked Harry. With a look of surprise Harry shook his head. "This guy who wants you dead can't touch you while you're here?" Harry looked at Dudley and once again shook his head no this time. "So my Mum has been protecting you all this time from a killer?" "Yep" Harry said. Dudley shook his head with a smile. "Damn, and too think, I thought you were boring all this time." Harry looked at his cousin with a new understanding; Dudley was kept in the dark as much as he was. Dudley was just a boy who did not understand why he had to share his parents with his cousin. Dudley looked at Harry and found himself thinking that his cousin wasn't that bad after all. "Harry, tonight when my parents were talking to you," Dudley said. "I was getting the feeling that there is more to the story than what they told you." Harry looked at Dudley and laughed. "Welcome to my world Dudley, welcome to my world," Harry said. Harry shook his head and got up. He walked to the window and looked at the lightening dancing on the clouds. "Everyone around me is keeping things from me; I just wish sometimes that they would just pull their heads out and realize that I am growing up. They treat me like a child. However, come on now I am the one who can read his thoughts and he can read mine. I am the one that the prophecy is about. I am the one he tried to kill when I was one. I am the one who lost my parents because he is a git. I am the one he tried to kill in my first year at Hogwarts. I am the reason why he had Ginny Weasley brainwashed so he could kill me. I am the reason Cedric died. I am the reason Voldemort rose again. Yet with all that has happened, everyone around me is trying to keep me in the dark. Why can't everyone see that I am growing up and I need to be told what is going on? Voldemort is just a big pain in my ass." Dudley sat there on the bed not knowing what to do let alone what to say. He had no idea all that had happened in Harry's life. In fact, up until last year he didn't care. That was until Harry had saved him from the Dementors. That god-awful night, he had found a new kind of respect for Harry. His cousin wasn't so bad after all. But what could he say to him to help him out? What could he do? Except......... Harry turned around and looked at Dudley. "Dudley I'm sorry I had no reason to say all that to you. I guess I'm just letting off steam." Harry looked at his cousin with a newfound respect; Dudley actually seemed to be listening. "Harry, look I know in the past we didn't get along," Dudley said. "Last year, though, that all changed. You saved my life and you didn't have to. You could have left me there with those dementors and they could have kissed me." Dudley looked at the floor trying to find the words he never thought he would ever say to Harry. "You did more for me then I would have done at the time for you, thanks." "I would have done that for anyone, that's who I am," Harry said. With the ice broken the two boys sat up and talked the rest of the night. As the sun was rising, it found both boys wide awake sharing stories and thoughts. Lying on the floor near the two boys lay a wizard card. The card was of Albus Dumlbedore, currently Headmaster of Hogwarts. The picture on the card seemed to be watching the two boys talking. Then Albus smiled and seemed to say, "The uniting has started." 


End file.
